Dubai to Introduce Exclusive Luxury ‘VIP VAT’ for Elite Consumers

Value Added Tax may be landing in the UAE, but for an exclusive group of Dubai residents it’s going to come with an extra splash of luxury.

VIP VAT, to be launched simultaneously on January 1, will be a 7-star 5 percent tax on consumption only available to Dubai’s gilt-edged elite.

“Our high rollers expect first class treatment when it comes to flying, dining and other aspects of life, so there should be no exception when it comes to taxation,” said Mahmoud Ghazal, head of the Ministry of Finance’s Luxury Division.

The exclusive embossed platinum VIP VAT card – which comes with an annual fee of AED10,000 – should be shown before making a purchase, enabling users to pay the luxury rate of tax instead of the standard edition.

“We’re going to be offering this 23-carat tax service to just 5,000 people as part of our soft launch,” added Ghazal. “As you can imagine, demand has been off the chart. We’ve already got a waiting list of more than 30,000!”